


come what may (i will love you, until my dying day)

by empireoffclouds



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Charles is Satine, Daniel is the unconscious argentinian (australian), Fluff and Angst, George Esteban and Lance are burlesque dancers, I won't spoil who Harold Zidler and the duke are, Lando Alex and Daniel are bohemian artists, Lewis and Sebastian are also performers at the Moulin Rouge, M/M, Moulin Rouge AU, Pierre is Christian, Set in 1899 Paris, not beta read we die like (wo)men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:40:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27445030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/empireoffclouds/pseuds/empireoffclouds
Summary: Pierre, a young penniless writer arrives to Paris to be a part of the Bohemian revolution. There he meets Charles, a male courtesan and cabaret dancer who is the star of the infamous nightclub known as the Moulin Rouge.Together, they defy the one rule you must abide to in the underworld: never fall in love.OR: the Moulin Rouge AU absolutely no one asked for, but that I decided to write anyways.
Relationships: Alexander Albon/George Russell, Esteban Ocon/Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly/Charles Leclerc
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	come what may (i will love you, until my dying day)

**Author's Note:**

> I had been itching to write a Moulin Rouge AU ever since I last watched the film, and I finally got around to it.
> 
> I decided to make it multi-chaptered because I think it's easier to ready that way, but there will still only be about 3 to 4 (quite long) chapters in total. Also, while it is obviously inspired by Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, I took quite a few creative liberties and you definitely don't need to have watched the film to understand it.
> 
> Although if you haven't watched Moulin Rouge, I really really urge you to do it because it's amazing.
> 
> Disclaimer: most of the dialogue isn't the same but if you recognize any quotes just know that they're all property of Mr. Baz Luhrmann, or in case of the song lyrics they belong to whoever wrote those songs.
> 
> The songs mentioned in this first chapter are: Sparkling Diamonds (as performed by Nicole Kidman) and Your Song (as written by Elton John and performed by Ewan McGregor). 
> 
> Anyways, without further ado, I hope you enjoy it.

The fifteenth crash of that evening barely made Pierre flinch, already too used to the ruckus his upstairs neighbors seemed to perpetually have going on even if he’d only been living there for four days.

He knew the price of the little room was too good not to come with a catch, but if the only catch was having loud neighbors who really liked to sing and play the piano at all hours of the day then he wasn’t going to complain.

This was his dream after all.

To live in Paris, and in Montmartre no less, pursuing his passion for writing after all the years he hadn’t been allowed to.

His parents had been less than thrilled when he told them about his plans of giving up his rightful place at their family’s law firm - but at the end of the day they also knew that there wasn’t anything they could do about it and thus had at least given him the money necessary to get himself that tiny room.

Pierre had dreamed about being a successful author ever since he could remember, about seeing his books adorning the stands of the Parisian shops, about making people fall in love with love thanks to his words.

There was only one little problem.

He had never been in love.

Sure, he had had more than his fair share of little crushes. But love? That love that the poets of old had written thousands upon thousands of sonnets about? That particular feeling was something Pierre had yet to experience for himself.

Another loud crash snapped him out of his reverie, but this time he nearly fell out of the chair when the ceiling actually gave in and an unconscious Australian fell right on top of his bed.

Pierre blinked, too shocked by the new hole that was adorning his ceiling and the clouds of dust that surrounded the room to be able to do anything else.

“Oh I am terribly sorry about that, we’ll definitely pay for it” a cheerful voice with a British accent called out, sounding anything _but_ sorry, and Pierre actually thought he had started to hallucinate until a head (and presumably the owner of the voice) peeked out through the hole.

“Daniel has narcolepsy you see, so he’s always fainting at the most unfortunate of times”

Pierre still wasn’t able to form words, and thus couldn’t even protest as the young man jumped into his bed, followed by two other tall men that were both wearing very extravagant costumes - all of them with massive grins in their faces.

“I’m Lando Norris, playwright and businessman” the shortest and probably youngest said, walking over to Pierre and enthusiastically shaking his hand.

“George Russell,” the tallest piped in, dusting himself off and also stepping forward to shake his hand “I’m a dancer and an actor”

The last of the three approached him in a calmer fashion but with a very friendly smile on his face “And I’m Alex Albon, pianist and composer”

Pierre nodded and returned the smile, still a little dazed by the sudden interruption but genuinely excited to meet these men who were clearly all as devoted to the bohemian lifestyle as he himself aspired to be.

“Pierre Gasly, nice to meet all of you” he greeted, before letting his worried eyes travel to the man who was still passed out on top of the rubble “Um, will he be okay?”

George waved his concerns away “Yes don’t worry, he does this all the time. We were just rehearsing for our play and right as he hit the high note, he fell off the stage and into your bed”

The Frenchman visibly perked up at his words.

“Can I ask what your play is about?”

“Ah, that’s a very good question” Lando grinned sheepishly “we have a very basic idea but it hasn’t completely come together yet”.

Pierre was still in that stage of being a writer where he dreaded the thought of sharing his work with anyone else, too scared of the possible criticism he might receive. But he couldn’t ignore an opportunity like this – one that had literally fallen from the sky (or upper floor, in this case).

“Well I’m – um – I’m also a writer, maybe I could try and come up with some ideas”

“Another writer? Fantastic!”

Pierre flinched violently as the previously unconscious man shot up from the bed, seemingly completely unconcerned at all the soot that was covering his face and about the fact that he had been out of it less than a second earlier.

None of the other men looked confused though, so he just decided to roll with it.

“I bet they already told you but I’m Daniel Ricciardo, lovely to meet you mate”

Even if he had never stepped foot outside of France, Pierre had once met an Australian who had decided to visit his small town in Normandy for some reason, and thus could instantly place his accent.

“Yes, this is all very lovely, but back to business,” Lando interrupted, getting uncomfortably close to Pierre as if he was doing some type of examination “do you consider yourself part of the bohemian revolution Mr. Gasly?”

Pierre gulped, feeling unreasonably nervous at the scrutinizing looks all of the men had on all of a sudden.

“I’d like to be… but I’m not sure”

“Well do you believe in truth?” Alex asked, brown eyes earnest.

“Yes”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow “Do you believe in freedom?”

“I do”

The Australian looked very pleased with his answer, and then it was George’s turn to question him.

“Do you believe in beauty?”

“Of course”

And finally, Lando.

“Do you believe in love?”

To hear that simple four lettered word was enough to make Pierre's lips curl upwards.

“Love? Above all things I believe in love” his blue eyes seemed to sparkle as he spoke, and Daniel and George exchanged an excited look at that “Love is like oxygen. Love is a many splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love”

Pierre felt his cheeks heat up as he finished his little rant, but his smile widened tentatively when he noticed that the beams were back in all the men’s faces.

“Spoken like a true bohemian” Daniel winked, finally leaving his spot on the bed to clap his shoulder in a proud manner.

The Frenchman allowed himself to grin back at him, relieved that he had apparently gotten through this impromptu test.

“Excellent,” Alex clapped his hands “now show us what you got”

* * *

After spending only a few hours with Lando, Alex, George and Daniel, Pierre already felt like he had known them his whole life.

He had never met anyone quite like them, extremely nice and extroverted and overall the definition of free spirits. Pierre already knew he would always be grateful to them for how easily they had taken him in.

Their apartment had turned out to be much larger than Pierre’s little room (which he supposed made sense, since the four of them paid for it while he was on his own), and thus they had been able to have a little stage set up smack dab in the middle of the common area.

They had had to skirt around the hole in the floor to get on and off the stage, but none of them really seemed to mind.

Lando had quickly talked Pierre through the ideas they already had for the plot, while Alex played some of the melodies he had been working on in their beat-up piano and George showed him all the beautiful costumes he had acquired over the years.

Apparently, the Briton was a burlesque dancer at the mythical Moulin Rouge.

Pierre could barely stop himself from questioning the man about what it was like to work there, since he had heard hundreds of stories about the place over the years and he was extremely eager to find out how much of it was true.

The Moulin Rouge was a night club, a dance hall and a bordello – ruled over by the iron fist of Christian Horner. It was a kingdom of nighttime pleasures, where the rich and powerful came to play with the young and beautiful creatures of the underworld.

Or at least, that’s what everyone had told him.

If Pierre focused hard enough, he could see the windmill that characterized the Moulin Rouge from one of the windows, and though he had always wondered what it was like inside of it he’d always been too much of a coward to actually go.

A particularly nice melody that Alex had started to play made his thoughts drift away from the nightclub, and he went to perch himself on the couch where Lando was reading through some of Pierre’s notes.

“This is incredible Pierrot,” Lando complimented, eyes not straying from the sheets of paper held in his hands “the fates definitely knew what they were doing when they made Daniel crash through your ceiling”

Daniel bowed mockingly “You are very welcome”

“You really think we can use any of that?” Pierre asked, his voice soft with insecurity.

“Of course we can, besides, even if it wasn’t good Alex has a knack for making the shittiest writing sound incredible with his music”

Alex let out a long-suffering sigh, but he looked very pleased at Lando’s praise “I have to, with the absolute garbage Christian makes me work with”

This time, Pierre couldn’t stop his curiosity getting the best of him.

“You also work at the Moulin Rouge?”

“We all do sometimes,” Alex shrugged “most of our friends work there and Christian likes that we don’t charge him nearly as much as Parisian artists do”

“He makes up for it by letting us chat up potential investors to give us money for our plays though” George piped in, rolling his eyes at the pout Alex gave him and draping himself over the Thai’s lap.

Pierre didn’t even blink at that, something inside him had told him the two were together from the second he saw them.

“And you really did come into our lives at the best moment little Pear, since we’re going on a special mission to get involved in Horner’s new musical tonight”

The Frenchman frowned at Daniel “And how exactly do I come into play?”

“Well Christian _does_ let us look for potential business ventures from time to time, but last time we did it Alex might have set the man’s coat on fire so we’re technically banned from doing it right now”

From the smirk that had appeared on Alex’s face, Pierre really doubted that it had been accidental.

“He had it coming, running his hands all over George like he was entitled to do that”

“I could have handled that Albono” George huffed, but still leaned up to press a kiss to the corner of his boyfriend’s lips.

“Anyways,” Lando continued, clearly used to the couple’s antics “while we might all be banned, Christian doesn’t know you, so he’ll have no idea you’re working with us”

Pierre gnawed at his bottom lip, feeling a little like had been thrown to deep end.

“Are you sure you want to trust me with that?”

“Definitely, with those baby blues of yours I’m sure you could even manage to charm Christian”

“But we won’t have you do that so don’t worry” Daniel reassured, clearly noticing the apprehension in Pierre’s face.

“Oh no,” George smirked “your target is much nicer to look at”

Now Pierre was very intrigued. He’d seen many of the famous posters advertising the Moulin Rouge, and while they were all hand-drawn he’d found himself staring at them for long periods of time, thinking about whether the dancers that worked there were truly as beautiful as they made them out to be.

“We’re getting you a private audience with the Sparkling Diamond himself”

* * *

Pierre had never seen anything remotely similar to the Moulin Rouge in his entire life.

From the second he’d been standing outside of the building, he almost felt like he was about to enter another dimension, a world different from the one he knew.

The scarlet red of its walls and the thousands of tiny lights that illuminated them made it stand out from the dull buildings that surrounded it, so it looked even more alluring to everyone who walked past.

And if it looked otherworldly from the outside, the inside seemed straight from another universe.

Pierre didn’t even know what to focus on as he let himself be led through the enormous crowd by Alex, Daniel and Lando, feeling extremely out of place even if the suit that they had dressed him in made it so he blended in perfectly with all the rich men that surrounded them.

Alex had lent him in one of his own suits, a black tuxedo with a red vest and high-collared white undershirt, paired with a white bowtie and matching white gloves.

The plan was that Pierre would go meet with the so-called Sparkling Diamond, and recite to him some of his best poetry in order to impress him and have him go convince Christian that they were the perfect choice to write the new musical that would be staged in the Moulin Rouge.

To say that Pierre was nervous would be an understatement, but he was too distracted by his surroundings to really pay attention to those nerves.

He couldn’t help but let his eyes roam over the entire place, trying to take everything in, until they stopped and widened in surprise as they landed on George.

The British man was standing on one of the elevated platforms alongside two other dancers, out of reach from the swarms of men trailing in, and decked out in full burlesque wear while his hips swayed tantalizingly to the beat of the music.

His elegant blue corset looked like it was shining because of the way the reflector’s light hit the hundreds of rhinestones that were carefully embedded in the fabric, and the black tights he had paired with low black heels made his legs look even longer than they already were.

A very heavy looking necklace was hanging from his neck, and although George had told him that none of the dancers liked it when they were called that, Pierre thought that he could understand why they had come to be known as Horner’s “diamond dogs”.

“He’s amazing, isn’t he?” Alex gushed proudly, and Pierre could do little more than hum in agreement.

“The one in the red corset is my boyfriend Esteban,” Daniel pointed out, grinning widely when said man noticed them and threw a wink their way “and the one in pink is Lance, very sweet kid”

The hidden orchestra was playing a piece with a very heavy bass-line, which only served to accentuate the sensual atmosphere that could be felt throughout the entire building.

Lando managed to lead them to a private table at one of the balconies, so that they had a great view of the floor and all the different performers scattered across it. Pierre could make out at least fifteen more scantily clad men dancing in different parts of the room, aside from other artists that ranged from contortionists to jugglers to fire-spitters. It almost reminded him of a circus.

“So, which one is the Sparkling Diamond?” Pierre had to lean in extremely close to Lando so that the younger one could hear him, but Lando only snorted and shook his head.

“As if Christian would ever allow Charles to dance with the others. No, his crown jewel gives a different performance entirely”

 _Charles_.

Even if he was glad about actually knowing the name of the man who he was supposed to charm, the Frenchman frowned. He knew that the Moulin Rouge offered different types of shows, but he had been pretty sure that tonight was more of a nightclub scene rather than a theatrical one.

“What exactly does he do?”

Lando’s eyes gleamed cheekily “Oh you’ll see”

Almost as if on cue, the room slowly went dark, and a man perched on a swing started descending from the ceiling surrounded by a shower of glitter.

It was as though every single person in attendance was holding their breath, surrounded by total silence where seconds ago the noise was loud enough to deafen.

And then a single spotlight fell on the mysterious figure, and Pierre felt his breath hitch.

The man’s head was tilted in a way that his face got covered by his black top hat, but as the swing turned towards them, it was left in full display.

God, Pierre didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone more beautiful. Not ever. Not even in his dreams.

He was wearing a silver and black corset with a long platinum train that accentuated his curves, completely covered in shiny gemstones that Pierre wouldn’t be surprised to find out were real diamonds, and a pair of black fishnets that really showed off his toned legs.

Long black satin gloves covered him up to the forearms, and the way that he was holding onto the swing was such that his biceps appeared to be sculpted out of marble.

Some tufts of silky black hair peeked out from under the hat, and they contrasted breathtakingly with his porcelain-like skin.

His lips were ever so slightly opened, and Pierre was sure he had to have some type of lipstick on them because he had never seen such a shade of pale pink before.

Even from a distance, he could see the shadows his eyelashes casted upon those impossibly sharp cheekbones, and just as Pierre had gotten convinced that he couldn’t get any prettier, he opened his eyes.

“There he is… the Sparkling Diamond”

Pierre was certain he’d never forget those eyes.

“ _The French are glad to die for love_ ”

The velvet-smooth voice reverberated across the silent room as he sang, and Pierre felt a shiver go down his spine.

Although Charles was easily five feet away, it had felt like he had whispered the words right into his ear.

“ _They delight in fighting duels_ ”

The smallest tilt of his chin was enough to have more than half the crowd giving a sharp intake of breath, all of them hanging on to every word that fell from the man’s lips.

“ _But I prefer a man who lives_ ” those lips curved upwards in a smirk, letting his hooded eyes roam seductively across the crowd “ _and gives expensive... jewels_ ”

There was another beat of silence, before the orchestra came alive with trumpets and drums and suddenly Charles’s swing was flying in circles right above the crowd.

Pierre gasped, watching how he held onto the swing with only one arm and still managed to keep a steady position perfectly, even as he extended his other arm teasingly towards the men while the swing got closer and closer to the ground.

Everyone swarmed closer to Charles when he finally stepped onto the floor, and the black of their suits surrounding the silver of his costume looked like watching hundreds of moths flocking to a single bright light.

“ _A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a boy’s best friend_ ”

As soon as he sang those words Pierre could see both wads of cash and actual jewels being launched towards the man, even if he barely took any of them as he was too busy doing a very complex choreograph while making it look incredibly easy.

“Are they really giving him diamonds?” the Frenchman asked, unable to believe his eyes.

“Yup,” Daniel confirmed nonchalantly, clearly already used to it “there’s a reason why they call him the Sparkling Diamond”

“And does he keep all of them?”

“Well Horner keeps the bigger ones, but between the ones he does keep and the money he makes I don’t think Charles can complain” Alex explained, taking a sip of a neon green colored drink that Pierre was sure he’d never seen before.

“ _Men grow cold as boys grow old, and we all lose our charms in the end”_

Pierre had absolutely no idea how Charles could look so dainty and confident while dancing and singing in what looked to be six-inch high heels, but the man didn’t even seem to be close to breaking a sweat.

Other performers were all but throwing him around in the air in between verses, but the sultry look in his face didn’t falter once.

“ _But square cut or pear shaped these rocks don’t lose their shape, diamonds are a boy’s best friend_ ”

And Pierre had to admit that he was a more than a little entranced by Charles. The man truly looked like a mirage, almost like he would vanish any second and remind everyone that people who looked like that didn’t actually exist.

He was pretty sure that if he somehow managed to acquire a diamond, he’d also give it to him.

“Come and get me boys” Charles purred, the first time he said something without singing it, and Pierre thought he could hear some sort of accent adorning his words.

The men didn’t need to be told twice, and they lifted Charles so that he was actually laying on top of them, his arms crossed over his head like he was sunbathing at the beach instead of being supported only by dozens of hands.

They carried him over towards a circular stage in the middle of the floor, and just as he stepped onto the platform a man dressed like a circus ringmaster appeared next to him and placed a possessive hand on his waist.

“And _that_ is Christian Horner”

Pierre disliked Christian the second he laid eyes on him.

The crowd burst into applause at the sight of him, and Pierre really wanted to wipe off that smug look he got in his face when Charles pretended to fawn all over him, much to the jealousy of every man that was watching them.

He was shorter than Charles – much shorter because of the heels – but he still radiated an aura of superiority that instantly rubbed him the wrong way. The way he was looking at Charles was also very off-putting, like he was actually just another one of the diamonds that littered the floor instead of a human being.

Christian teasingly dangled one of the diamonds in front of Charles, and Pierre felt a knot in his stomach as the dancer mimed trying to grab it with a very dramatic pout.

Daniel rolled his eyes “I don’t know how Charles hasn’t kicked him in the nuts yet”

A flurry of dancers carrying enormous feathers surrounded both men then, and when Charles emerged after a few seconds he had ditched the silver costume in favor of a white corset, the top part completely covered in heart shaped diamonds, that also had a feathery train running all the way to the floor.

“Have you chosen who’ll you dance with today my lovely?” Christian asked over the music, his big hand still on Charles’s waist, and the men nearly started jumping up and down to catch the man’s attention.

Charles tapped a long finger to his chin a couple of times, letting his eyes slowly travel through the room until they came to rest on –

“Him”

Pierre was pretty certain that the finger he had extended was pointed right at him, but a big part of him was screaming that it definitely couldn’t be.

He blinked “ _Me_?”

Lando smirked, leaning backwards in his chair “Told you we’d get you a private audience”

Before the Frenchman could fully process what was happening two enormous men were lifting Charles in their shoulders and leading him to their balcony, followed by the disappointed groans of the men while Christian consoled them and said that they could always try their luck next time

The man was gingerly dropped right in front of them, and Pierre really hadn’t been prepared by seeing those mesmerizing green eyes up close.

“I believe you were expecting me” Charles smiled, speaking directly to him, and now Pierre was sure his brain had short circuited.

“Yes, yes” he breathed out, too overwhelmed to say anything else as the other man extended a gloved hand for him to take and led him towards the dancefloor.

Pierre was so enchanted by Charles that he missed the amused looks exchanged by Daniel, Alex and Lando.

And the Frenchman had never prided himself in being an incredible dancer, but Charles was so talented that he didn’t even have to put in too much effort, instead just letting himself be led by the man.

Charles drew him in and placed slender hands over his shoulders, the proximity making Pierre dizzy by the way his intoxicating scent hit him like a tidal wave. Even after all the physical activity he had been doing the man still smelled of a sweetness that reminded him of vanilla.

“So nice of you to take an interest in this little show” Charles finally said, the Frenchman only just able to stop himself from shivering at the way his hot breath fanned over his ear.

“O-Of course, I’d be honored to be involved really” Pierre stuttered out, very thankful that Charles looked endeared at his nervousness instead of weirded out “assuming you like what I do of course”

Charles quirked an amused eyebrow “I’m sure I will”

The two stopped talking as the pace of the dance picked up, and Pierre honestly had no idea how he was managing to dip Charles and bring him back up in perfect sync with the beat, the man’s silky hair swooshing around prettily every time.

“They told we could do it in private”

Charles looked affronted for a second, but the look was gone as fast as it came.

“Oh did they?”

Pierre gulped “Y-Yes, a private poetry reading”

“Oh a _poetry reading_ … of course” he smirked, and Pierre was a little confused by the way he had said poetry reading, almost like an innuendo, but he supposed that was just the way he spoke.

Pierre twirled him around a few times, amazed by how Charles looked every bit like a Sparkling Diamond with the way the many lights reflected off of him as he spun. It was easy to ignore the hundreds of murderous stares he was currently the recipient of when you had such a sight in front of you.

Charles linked his arms around his neck once more, leaning incredibly close to him, so close that Pierre could see the speckles of brown that stood out from his otherwise dark green eyes. If he leaned forward just another centimeter, their lips would be brushing.

“I’ll be expecting you then Mr…?”

“Gasly, Pierre Gasly”

“ _Enchanté_ Mr. Gasly” the dancer whispered, and it was impossible to miss how his eyes flickered to his mouth for a second before bringing them back up “see you soon then”

And just like that he was whisked away by the same men that had brought him to him, cementing the thought that the man could be easily mistaken for an illusion.

Pierre tried not to think about how cold he suddenly felt without Charles’s arms around him.

He walked back over to the balcony in a daze, his mind racing with thoughts of Charles.

Of how well their bodies seemed to fit together, of how hypnotizing his green eyes were, of how he was almost sure that his accent was from some part of France.

The teasing of his friends was the only thing that managed to snap him out of it, face heating up when Daniel let out a low whistle and Lando waggled his eyebrows in a ridiculous manner.

“Didn’t know you had such a way with the boys Pierrot” Lando winked, and Pierre felt his blush grow deeper as he let himself fall back down on his seat.

“That’s because I don’t”

“I don’t know my friend, Charles looked sufficiently charmed to me” Alex piped in, and really Pierre thought he would be the most compassionate, but he was getting proved wrong about many things tonight, apparently.

He was saved from further teasing by the swing once again falling from the ceiling, Charles elegantly draping himself over it once more before it started going back up.

“ _Diamonds…_ ”

The orchestra played a reprise of the song Charles performed earlier, and Pierre had to wonder how it felt to have so many people’s eyes trained solely on you. It must have been intimidating, but if Charles felt like that, he did a perfect job at hiding it.

“ _Square cut or pear shaped, these rocks don't lose their shape_ ”

The swing stopped a few feet over the crowd, and every light except the one that was trained on Charles went off at the same time.

“ _Diamonds are a boy’s best_ …” the man’s singing trailed off, pausing for dramatic effect before the song reached its climax.

Or at least it had seemed to be for dramatic effect, but Charles suddenly gave a sharp intake of breath before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, falling backwards and off the swing, and plummeted rapidly towards the floor.

Gasps rang out through the crowd, and Pierre even got up from his chair as he saw Charles’s limp body getting closer and closer to the ground.

Thankfully, one of the broad men had been standing right below him, and thus was able to catch his unconscious body in his arms.

Pierre let out a relived sigh, but a shocked silence still enveloped the room because of what had just happened.

It was only Christian’s exaggerated clapping that snapped them all out of their shock, the performers quickly accompanying him with their own claps and the men laughing in relief as they realized that it had all been a part of the act.

“It seems like you’ve driven our Sparkling Diamond away” Christian’s voice boomed from the stage “but don’t worry, there’s still many Moulin Rouge dancers that would be delighted to dance with you”

However, Pierre wasn’t so sure about that, and a quick glance at his friends told him that they weren’t buying it either.

“I’d never seen him do that before” Daniel commented worriedly, his eyes still trained to the place where the man had disappeared into with Charles still in his arms.

“Me neither” Alex agreed, shoulders uncharacteristically tense “I hope he’s alright”

Lando patted his back reassuringly “I’m sure he is, Charles is a tough one. And well, maybe Pierre can ask him, since it’s almost time for their meeting”

The reminder made Pierre’s worry slip away to be replaced by nervousness, and it must have really shown on his face because Lando turned his attention from reassuring Alex to reassuring him.

“Don’t worry Pierrot, it will all work out perfectly, you'll see”

Pierre gulped. He really hoped Lando was as good a seer as he was a playwright.

* * *

Pierre didn’t know what to expect from Charles’s private quarters, but he definitely hadn’t expected them to have the shape of a giant elephant that was painted the same shade of red the rest of the Moulin Rouge was.

He was stupidly nervous about this meeting, and he cursed Lando for convincing him to go through with this.

It really was the best chance he’d possibly ever get to break into the industry though, so he forced himself to square his shoulders and gave three sharp knocks on the golden door.

Not ten seconds passed before it was being opened, and Pierre felt what little confidence he had faltering when he came face to face with Charles.

The man had had yet another outfit change, and he would’ve felt bad about his eyes instinctively roamed up and down his body if he wasn’t sure that a better man than him would’ve done the same if confronted with such a sight.

If he had thought Charles had looked like the picture of sensuality before, he had been severely mistaken.

He had ditched the white costume for a fully black set of what Pierre could only describe as lingerie - with an impossibly tight strapless corset, lace boy-shorts and a matching garter belt that held his stockings in place.

A sliver of skin of his thighs was showing between his stockings and the boy-shorts

The only thing that gave an illusion of modesty was a type of sheer baby doll coat that went down to the floor, but even then, the extra covering only served to make him look all the more alluring.

“Welcome” Charles purred, stepping aside to let Pierre get inside the very extravagant room “a perfect place for a _poetry reading_ , don’t you think?”

Any other time Pierre would have been awed by the many tapestries and paintings that adorned the inside of the room, the intricate red and blue wallpapers, or maybe by the beautiful view of the Parisian skyline that could be seen from the heart-shaped balcony that was right where the elephant’s mouth should be.

But right now, his mind was much too preoccupied with the thought that he was alone with Charles, and he could feel his hands trembling lightly from the nerves.

“U-Uh it’s a very beautiful room you have” Pierre stuttered out, mentally cursing himself for managing to sound so awkward.

But Charles didn’t seem to mind, instead only giving him a smile and walking over to the little cart that was filled with different plates of fruit and three bottles of champagne on ice.

“Thank you _monsieur_ Gasly” he grabbed one of the bottles and easily popped it open, only a slight stream of foam falling over it thanks to his expert technique “should I pour us some champagne?”

Pierre quickly shook his head. He wasn’t sure what exactly Lando had told Charles to get him this audience, but he was sure that his already jumbled brain wouldn’t be helped by alcohol.

“No thank you, I thought maybe we could just get it over and done with”

Charles looked a little caught off guard by his words, and Pierre felt the nerves grow when he thought he saw a flash of offence passing through his eyes, before that same sultry look he’d been wearing all night was back on his face.

“Very well then”

Charles stepped towards the bed, sitting down on top of the velvety covers and then laying down completely across them.

Pierre gulped.

“Then why don’t you come over here? Let’s get it over and done with”

There was no way Pierre could recite his poetry from memory if he had to be in the same bed as Charles, so he once again shook his head.

“I prefer to do it standing”

The dancer once again looked baffled, his eyebrows raising slightly, so Pierre rushed to explain himself.

“You don’t have to stand! Sometimes it’s... it’s quite long, and I’d like you to be comfortable”

Charles only blinked up at him, and oh _God_ Pierre had never felt more awkward in his life.

“What I do is quite modern, and it may feel strange at first but - but I think if you’re open, you might enjoy it”

After a few seconds of silence, Charles gave him a very forced smile “I’m sure I will”

He nodded, taking his hat off to hold it against his stomach and walking to stand in front of the balcony, knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to get a single word out if he had to look at Charles.

Pierre took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down his racing heart.

“ _Monsieur_ Gasly, are you alright?” Charles asked, and the Frenchman regretted turning back to look at him the second he did it.

Charles had now propped himself up on the cushions, and he was looking at him with dark hooded eyes that sent a jolt right to his crotch.

“Y-Yes I’m sorry. It’s just that sometimes it takes time for, um, inspiration to come”

“Oh”

The dancer stood up from the bed, reaching Pierre in a couple of long strides and placing his hands over his shoulders.

“Let me inspire you then”

With that Charles turned flipped them around and pushed Pierre hard enough so that he went tumbling on top of the bed, and climbing over the Frenchman’s body so he could straddle his hips.

Pierre now really had no idea what the hell was going on, and the way Charles was pressing his hands down on the mattress and the way the weight of his body felt was making it really hard for him to think properly.

“W-What-?”

“Let’s make love” Charles purred, Pierre’s eyes widening as he started to press kisses along his neck.

“Make love?”

“Yes” he moaned, the sound of his voice muffled from where he was mouthing at his skin “You want to don’t you?”

“B-But the poetry -“

“Let me show you how _poetic_ I can be”

Pierre didn’t know what to do. His body really was betraying him, and his mind wasn’t much better, screaming at him to forget about the bloody poetry and just give into the demands of the beautiful man he had on his lap.

But no. He couldn’t do that to his new friends, he needed to pull through.

It was with that thought that he somehow conjured up the strength to push Charles off of him, jumping out of the bed and into his feet and putting a good two feet of distance between them.

“ _Monsieur_ Gasly? Come back to bed -“

Pierre ignored him, turning away from him and shutting his eyes tightly.

“ _My gift is my song_ ” he finally belted out, the suddenness of it managing to shut Charles up.

Somehow the Frenchman managed to force himself to turn back to face him, and he felt a tiny surge of confidence when he saw the shock painted across his face.

“ _And this one’s for you_ ”

Charles sat up a little straighter, looking more intrigued than confused now, and Pierre took that was a good sign.

“ _And you can tell everybody, that this is your song. It may be quite simple but now that it’s done...”_

He stepped closer to the bed, Charles’s green eyes following his every move, filled with something he couldn’t quite discern.

“ _Hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words, how wonderful life is now you’re in the world_ ”

Pierre allowed his lips to curve upwards, turning back to the balcony.

He could still feel Charles’s gaze firmly trained on him.

“ _I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss. Well some of these verses, they got me quite cross_ ”

He heard Charles get up from the bed, and couldn’t help but turn around again, his heart beating faster when he saw the soft look that had fallen over the dancer’s face.

“ _But the sun’s been kind while I wrote this song, it’s for people like you that they keep it turned on_ ”

Charles stepped closer to Pierre, until they were almost standing face to face.

He took the chance to lead him further into the balcony, and the breath almost caught in his throat when he saw the moonlight reflecting off his shining eyes.

“ _Excuse me forgetting but these things I do. You see, I’ve forgotten if they’re green or they’re blue_ ”

They were now looking directly at each other, and Charles gave him a bashful smile at that last verse, making Pierre’s own smile widen.

“ _Anyway the thing is, what I really mean_ ,” Pierre took one of Charles’s hands in both of his, running tender fingers over the ring adorning one of his knuckles “ _yours are the sweetest eyes I’ve ever seen_ ”

He lifted the hand he was already holding and placed one of his own on his waist, spinning both of them around as if they were dancing to some sort of silent music only the two of them could hear.

Charles actually laughed when he twirled him, so similar to how he’d done in the Moulin Rouge's dancefloor and yet so different.

“ _And you can tell everybody this is your song, it may be quite simple but now that it’s done_ ”

The beam in Charles’s face made his eyes crinkle adorably in a way that actually made him look about five years younger - but Pierre thought that he looked even more beautiful than he had when he was actively trying to look it.

Pierre decided right then and there that he’d do anything to see that honest smile as often as he could.

“ _Hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words... how wonderful life is now you’re in the world_ ”

He took advantage of his height to lift Charles up in his arms, the man laughing again as he spun him in circles without letting his feet touch the floor.

As he put him downm Pierre dipped him as low as he could manage, reveling in the way Charles’s eyes were still sparkling with mirth.

“I can’t believe it...” Charles breathed out “I’m in love”

Pierre felt like his heart would beat out of his chest at those words, his stomach doing all kinds of flip flops at how content Charles seemed to be in his arms.

“I’m in love with a young, handsome, talented _duke_ ”

“Duke?” Pierre asked, although his head still felt fuzzy for having the man’s lips so close to him.

Charles hummed, lightly bumping their noses together “Not that the title’s important of course”

“I’m not a duke” Pierre laughed.

“Not a duke?”

“I’m a writer”

Just like that, it was as though someone had poured a bucket of cold water right over Charles.

“A _writer_?” he exclaimed, quickly pushing Pierre away.

Pierre, who felt like he was going to get whiplash by the other man’s sudden change in mood.

“Lando said -“

“Lando?” Charles all but screamed, horrified “Oh God please don’t tell me you’re another one of Lando’s oh-so talented, charmingly bohemian, tragically impoverished protégés?”

The Frenchman rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly “Well, when you put it like that -“

“Oh I’m going to kill him!”

Charles angrily stalked across the room and ripped the door open, before quickly slamming it shut when he saw who was on the other side.

Pierre had only managed to make out Christian, but he was sure there were at least two other men with him.

Charles turned panicked eyes to him “Hide, now!”

He didn’t think twice before throwing himself behind the cart with the food and champagne, which was a really good thing because right at that moment the door opened again, and Christian came in followed by another man.

Said man was wearing a suit that looked much more expensive than any other he’d seen that night, along with a fancy top hat and black bowtie.

His hair was nearly as black as Charles’s, but his skin was much tanner than the dancer’s.

There was also an air of superiority radiating off of him, one that seemed to be much stronger than Christian’s.

“Charles dear, are you decent for the duke?”

Ah. So that was the duke.

**Author's Note:**

> So that was that! I really hope you guys enjoyed it and if you did please leave comments and/or kudos because they make my day and inspire me to keep writing. 
> 
> Also I'm a little nervous about the format I used for including the songs (I had to, since it is a musical after all), so please also let me know if you liked how I incorporated them or have any constructive criticism at all.
> 
> Oh and of course remember you can find me on tumblr at @lewixco in case you want to send me a message or give me ideas for future fics or just have a nice chat. 
> 
> Until next time!


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